Most of what we know of early British Columbia comes through Europeans. But there is a letter written by prominent First Nations Chiefs that gives us information not filtered by contemporary people.
In 1910, several First nations Chiefs wrote Canadian Prime Minister Wilfred Laurier:
“100 years ago they came among us and erected a trading post. After the other whites came to this country in 1858 we differentiated them, their manners were so different; we applied the term ”real whites” to them. The real whites were good people. We could depend on their word; we trusted and respected them. They did not interfere nor attempt to break up our tribal organizations, laws, customs, nor force their conception of things on us to our harm. They never tried to steal our country, nor take our food and life from us. They acknowledged our ownership of the country, and treated our Chiefs as men. We treated them kindly and hospitably and helped them all we could.”
SEVERAL FIRST NATIONS CHIEFS TO CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER WILFRED LAURIER
Some of our chiefs said, “We will help each other be great and good.”
The Hudson Bay Company was the legal government in much of western Canada, though only over its trading communities. As King George Third confirmed, First Nations were sovereign. The Company prohibited missionaries west of Winnipeg and banned European settlement in what is now British Columbia. It quarantined ships suspected of carrying disease and inoculated thousands against smallpox.
The Company established isolated trading posts. Some villages relocated to be near them. Relations were peaceful as officials married into prominent First Nations families. One priest complained that Company people were adopting native culture.
The HBC refused to allow nonnatives to settle. But settlers pressured the UK Parliament to abolish the Company Government and remove Governor James Douglas from power. The Chiefs wrote of the new democracy.
“They treat us as subjects without any agreement to that effect, and force their laws on us without our consent whether they are good for us or not. They say they have authority over us. They have broken down our old laws and customs by which we regulated ourselves. They laugh at our chiefs and brush them aside.”
“They treat us as subjects without any agreement to that effect, and force their laws on us without our consent whether they are good for us or not. They say they have authority over us. They have broken down our old laws and customs by which we regulated ourselves. They laugh at our chiefs and brush them aside.”
We have no grudge against the white race or settlers. But we want an equal chance of making a living.
As British Columbia turns to reconciliation, will the Chiefs’ vision prevail. The ones who said, We will help each other be great and good”.
As British Columbia turns to reconciliation will the Chiefs vision prevail, the ones who said let us help each other be great and good.